Preventing Spider Bites

The best protection against spider bites is vigilance. I and my
assistants have handled thousands of living spiders in the first five years of
the Ohio Spider Survey, yet none of us have ever been bitten. It seems that we
are safe primarily because we are paying attention to the spiders. People who do
get bitten were almost always unaware of the spider beforehand. Few spiders are
truly aggressive, most are timid and will retreat if given a chance. Bites occur
because someone inadvertently invades the spiderís space. Some bites occur,
for example, when people put their hands in garden or household gloves that have
been laying in a disused area, or when someone (particularly children) picks up
and dons an article of clothing that has been laying on the floor or in a
closet. Walking in bare feet, particularly at night, can lead to an unfortunate
encounter with a spider. On such occasions the spider lashes out as it is about
to be crushed. Some recluse and widow bites occur because people unwittingly
reach into or bump their webs and stimulate an attack. Unpacking long-stored
cardboard boxes is one frequent method of encountering spiders and therefore it
is prudent to use gloves when doing so.